NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WILD v MIGHTY DUCKS

May 12, 2003

Jacques Lemaire

JACQUES LEMAIRE: This seat is hot.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: If we're like that, I'm happy, very happy. It's not that. For some reason, I don't know, we're not playing as well, or not getting the breaks. You know, it doesn't take a lot to turn it around, you get to two short-handed goals, that's kind of tough for a team. There is no doubt, and on two of them, one hit the another point man's stick, and the other one we broke our stick for a break-away, so these are the type of breaks that we're looking for.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: You got to give -- first of all, you got to give him credit the way he's playing. He's playing very good, and the other thing is their defensemen are playing very well, too. So, you don't have a lot of time to shoot, you don't have a lot of time to look where you should shoot. You got somebody close to you and you got to rush your motion, and a lot of time it doesn't go where you want. I don't think it's because he's getting -- well, maybe in some of the guys, but I don't think he's getting into anybody's, you know, the majority.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: They play well. They play very well defensively. You know, they collapse a lot. We had a lot of shots from points that never got to the net because they're all in front of the netting. It hits a pad, a skate, a stick, but, you know, you got to keep going. We work hard. I felt that we had maybe six, seven guys not at their best, and you know, to beat that team we have to be at our best.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Let's say to score one goal, we have to be at our best.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Trying to use fresh guys, you know, fresh bodies that will bring a little more life.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Jimmy is skating well, but he's not the scoring type of player or play maker. You know, we had a hard time to score the first game. We had a lot of chances, and we felt that maybe Bouchard can, you know, get an assist or a goal.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: You saw the game. You saw the game. We did at different times there, and that is also experience that we don't have. The worst thing you can do in the playoffs is try to do it by yourself. That is the worst thing. Then you don't have the team anymore. You're not working together, and one guy is so easy to stop.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Rollie was my choice.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: I think it's a lot tougher for Manny than myself. You know, he's staying in touch and he wants to know where it's going. He's got dad on his mind, there is no doubt.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Who you want? Just send me a little letter there who you want, I'm going to try that.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: There was a couple more guys like that, and the other three came back. We were there. We were there. Zholtok was right near the shooter, and when he put his stick there it hit his stick and went in.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: No, he's not sick.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Gabby started to play really hard, the way he should play, when it was 2-0. That's when he started to play as well as he can play.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: We better.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Because it will be short if we're not. It's exactly the same way as 3-1.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Big time. I think that is the most important thing, even before the game there, Mario and Mike went in the room and they said the guys are a little flat, and I went back in and I looked at them, and it was maybe six minutes before we started, and I said, I think they're thinking. They're worrying about something, and, you know, I felt we could skate better than we did. You know, this is a good skating team, puck control. You have -- you need speed to play against them.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: We got to get the puck there. Sometimes we get it in the paint, the puck is going out. We got to get the puck in the paint, go in the paint.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Never, well, I don't remember. The thing is being in the hole, it's nothing if you're going to bin. It's great, it's even greater, because -- you know, you're close to being eliminated and then guys regroup and start to play, and the excitement and all that, it's something that, you know, every player would like to live, and -- but if you're leading all the time, then it means you've got a great team and you're going through it, but like this, it's a lot different to me.

JACQUES LEMAIRE: Well, we'll see how we can do it here. Like I said, we -- to me, it's only a matter of, you know, getting a goal here and there, and the -- you could see the -- all the atmosphere change on the guys on the bench, in the room. You know they feel a lot better. We came close like just before they got their first goal there. Cliff Ronning brought the puck right in and we didn't score there, and after that, there is another great chance just before they scored the second goal, and if you get a break there, it changes again. Then you start to go, you're positive, and the guys are coming back frustrated a bit, which doesn't help on a team like us. You know, if you do have experience of playoffs, and the guys at times, they get back and they're frustrated, you know, it goes away like the next shift, but our guys, it's a little different, but even though that I said they were not at their best, some of them, you know, I'm proud of how they work. They tried. Thank you.